My Kingdom For A Horse
by LVB
Summary: After an accident with their aunt's time turner, James and Albus Potter end up in a time and a place they never thought possible. Seeking refuge, they turn to the only woman who can possibly help them—the mysterious and powerful Rowena Ravenclaw.
1. Stuck in the middle and spinning

**My Kingdom For a Horse**

**Disclaimer:** Harry Potter is owned by JK Rowling, WB, Scholastic etc. No money is being made by this. All rights reserved.

**Summary:** After an accident with their aunt's time turner, James and Albus Potter end up in a time and a place they never thought possible. Seeking refuge, they turn to the only woman who can possibly help them—the mysterious and powerful Rowena Ravenclaw.

**Warnings:** Time travel, swearing

**A/N:** I am very excited to presenting this to you. It's my first foray into the time travel genre, though certainly not my first multi-chap. I am posting so quickly after writing in order to push myself and in the hopes that you, the readers, will push me through when it comes to posting and updating. I have a great feeling about this. Please, come along with me and enjoy the ride. Also, this was originally written in response to the 'Hedwig, We're Not in Kansas Anymore' Challenge over on the HPFC Forums. This first chapter is mostly dialogue, but the story will move along, I promise.

...

**Chapter One: Stuck in the Middle and Spinning Right Around**

Listening to Hugo prattle on wasn't exactly at the top of my to-do list today. But alas, here we were, sitting in my Aunt Hermione's office as Hugo started flicking books off her shelf, wand at the ready.

"You'd better clean this up," I warned.

Hugo shook his head. "Two minutes work, max. I can't quite find what I'm looking for..." 

"Ever occurred to you to actually ask your Mum, you twit?" 

I didn't have to turn to know that voice. "Piss off, Jamie!" Hugo replied. 

"Didn't realise Hufflepuffs knew that sort of language." 

"What do you want, _James_?" I asked. I love my big brother, truly. He just happened to be annoying. Really annoying. 

"Well, _Albus_, to tell you the truth, I was bored." 

"Bored!" exploded Hugo, sending the desk drawers flying and random objects began to zoom across the room, particularly at James. "We're here violating Mum's personal office, risking life and limb or worse, _Dad_, and you...you're bored!" 

"Nobody's at the shop, besides I left Lils there!" 

"Are you mad?" I yelled. "Lily can't cope with all your nonsense!" 

After leaving Hogwarts, James had promptly taken a year off. He had barely passed his NEWTs, only excelling in Care of Magical Creatures. Finally, after enough yelling from Mum, he and Fred had taken over the Hogsmeade WWW store. Well, Freddie took it over. James showed up occasionally. 

"She'll be fine, Al. Merlin, what's up your arse today?" 

Suddenly, a voice rang through the house. "I'm home! Hugo, Ron?" 

All three of us froze. Hugo dropped the large book he was holding and it smashed against Aunt Hermione's desk. 

"What's going on in there?" 

"Shit!" swore Hugo as he frantically began stuffing the books back onto the shelf. I heard Aunt Hermione's footsteps get closer. 

"Good luck mate!" James said, smirking, and grabbed my hand. 

I heard a quick "You bastards!" but before I could reply, I felt myself being pulled through the air. We landed with a thud on what seemed to be my kitchen floor. 

"What in the name of Merlin's pants is wrong with you?" I screamed at James. "Have you gone completely mental? What if the wards had held and you couldn't Apparate?" 

James stood and yanked me to a standing position. "Good thing Uncle Ron still trusts us scheming Potters then, eh?" 

I felt my face getting red. "You're _supposed_ to be a Gryffindor. Running out on Hugo like that, that was- that was very Slytherin of you!" 

James clutched his chest. "You wound my heart Albus Severus, the greatest Ravenclaw in all the lands!" 

"Git." 

Suddenly, my Floo began to spark and out stepped my parents. Just what I didn't need right now. 

"Al, honey, I hope you don't mind us popping by...oh, Jamie! What are you doing here?" asked Mum. 

James didn't reply but cracked open a butterbeer. 

"Hi Mum, Dad," I said happily, kissing Mum's cheek and flicking her red hair from my face. Mum scrunched up her nose. 

"I know they have you working ridiculous hours in that dungeon you call the Department of Mysteries, but really, Albus, you could have tidied up," she scolded. 

"Leave him alone, Gin," Dad said, joining James in the kitchen. 

"And you? What do you have to say for yourself?" Mum asked, directing her comments to James. 

Sighing, I took to banishing my work to the desk that sat relatively unused in the corner of my flat. Dad remained quiet, as usual, and adjusted his glasses. He smirked at me as I did the same. 

"I'm on a break, Mum," James said, as calmly as he could. "You need to chill." 

"Chill?" Mum snapped. 

"Come on, do we have to do this...?" Dad started. 

"Harry, be quiet. James, I will 'chill', as you so kindly put it, when you finally decide to get your act together and quit mucking about! On a break? It's a Hogsmeade weekend Saturday and you're here on a break? Fred is on his honeymoon, who's looking after the shop?" 

James actually had the decency to look a bit guilty. "Lily," he answered. Wrong answer, Jamie-boy. 

"LILY!" Mum shrieked and Dad stood between them. 

"Alright, Gin, leave it alone, he's going back now, aren't you?" Dad said calmly. I took in the scene in front of me. Mum was starting to sound every bit like Granny Weasley. 

"I can speak for myself, Dad," James snapped. 

"Oi, don't talk to Dad like that," I intervened. 

"Be quiet, Albus!" Mum, Dad and James all shouted. 

"You need to hurry up and decide what you're going to do for the rest of your life, James Potter," Mum started. "George has been very kind to let you help Fred run the Hogsmeade store but one day Fred will get older, have his own kids, and give the store to them. You're twenty five years old, James, you need to start thinking and acting like an adult!" Mum said, attempting to be calm. 

"You and Dad need to back off!" James said, sending his butterbeer exploding on the counter. Undoubtedly, I would be cleaning it. 

"James Sirius, you'd better think long and hard if you reckon you'll be getting away with speaking to your mother that way," Dad warned. 

"How about the two of you start thinking long and hard about the way the pair of you speak to me? As you just so kindly pointed out, I'm an adult. I don't live with you anymore, I don't need your help!" 

"We just want what's best for you!" Mum shouted back. "You can't keep living like this forever! Look at your cousin Rose. Successful career as a Healer; married and a baby on the way!" 

"Bloody Malfoy," I muttered under my breath. 

"Bully for Rose!" James snapped. "I'm glad she managed to figure out she wanted to pop out devil Malfoy spawn so soon but other than that, I couldn't really give a rat's arse about what everyone else is doing! Rose is a Healer, Freddie just got married, Rox just moved to France, Hugo and Al are finally in talks for whatever the bloody hell it is they do in the dungeons and Lily, well your precious Lily just got a matching tattoo with her bloody MUGGLE boyfriend!" James exploded. 

Lils was going to kill him when she found out he had opened his big, fat gob to Mum and Dad. Mum's face was starting to turn the same shade as her hair, when Dad finally stepped in. 

"ENOUGH!" 

Everyone was quiet. 

"James, your mother and I are only concerned about your well-being. We know that what you've been through these past few years hasn't been easy..." 

"You reckon?" 

Mum went to open her mouth but, mercifully, only glared. 

"Shut it for a moment, will you Jamie? All we're saying is that you need to start getting your life back on track." 

For a moment it looked like James might actually spontaneously combust. I actually felt sort of sorry for the git. Arguing with Mum and Dad had become so commonplace that he normally just expected it every time he saw them. And as usual, I got caught in the middle. 

"Fuck this," James swore and grabbed his wand. 

"James, don't," I said, eyeing Mum and Dad's shocked demeanour. He ignored me and with a crack, Apparated away. 

"Why did you have to rile him up like that?" I asked them both. "He's trying at least!" 

"He needs to learn, Al. It won't get any better if you keep helping him," Mum replied softly. 

"It's hard for him, Mum. He's been doing loads better. Freddie even let him run the store," I offered. 

"Is your sister really dating a Muggle?" Dad asked. I already had one sibling and a cousin pissed off at me, I didn't want to make it three for three. 

"I'll go see if he's alright," I said, changing the subject. 

"How do you know where he went?" Mum asked. 

I smiled. "He's my big brother. I could find him anywhere," I answered honestly. I took out my own wand and with a crack, I Apparated to Hogsmeade.

...

James was exactly where I thought he'd be, lingering out the front of the shop. Thankfully, it didn't look too busy. I spied Lils behind the counter, talking animatedly with a customer. She didn't seem to mind being left to her own devices, at least for a little longer. James had lit a cigarette and I coughed as he blew the smoke in my face. 

"Piss off!" 

"Did they send you to collect me? Plan on Stunning me and dragging me back to Mummy and Daddy?" 

I shook my head. "No, you prat. Dad asked me about Lily's boyfriend and unlike you, I kept my gob shut and did the next best thing. I ran away!" I answered proudly. James laughed. 

"You're a better brother than I am, Al," he replied, shoving one hand into his pocket. I snatched his cigarette from him and took a drag. 

"Nah, just the better looking brother," I quipped back, earning a gentle kick in the shins. 

"Thanks," he said, awkwardly. "I know I must drive you mental. Not to mention Lils and Hugo are both going to kick my arse." 

"Brothers are supposed to drive each other mental," I pointed out. "Besides, Hugo has Aunt Hermione wrapped around his little finger and its Lily's fault she decided to get a bloody ugly tattoo with her hippie Muggle boyfriend." 

James laughed. "Touchè. At least the little snot _has_ a boyfriend." 

Ah, the dig at my love life. I'd been wondering when he'd take the chance. 

"It's not my fault that women don't seem to find my often broken glasses and _lack_ of lightning bolt scar attractive!" 

James was the lucky one—he had only inherited Dad's hair. He and Lils looked much more Mum. Me? Unfortunately, for me, I looked like Dad, through and through, down to the shitty eyesight. Most people were expecting Harry Potter when they looked at me. _'Potter prowess'_, Rose had called it, after she yelled at another girl who had dumped me for being nothing at all like Dad. 

"Prick," I added for good measure. 

"Middle child," he retorted. I flicked the cigarette into the snow and watched as it fizzled out. "Oi, what were you and Hugo looking for?" 

"Huh?"

"Earlier, in Aunt Hermione's office?" 

Oh right. 

"Don't go blabbing, now," I warned him. 

He extended his pinky finger. "As Lils would say, pinky promise!" 

I ignored his finger. "Hugo won the contract to start working on the new batch of Ministry-issue Time Turners." 

James whistled in appreciation. "And who said Hufflepuffs weren't smart?" 

"Reckon it was probably you, git. Anyway, Hugo wanted to change the design from the last ones. Something about making it a bit less stuffy and bit more 'Weasley'. Idiot. Anyway, we were looking for Aunt Hermione's. You know the rest." 

James suddenly looked as if he were about to explode. "Did you find it?" 

I shook my head. "Hugo thought she'd hidden it behind her books. We weren't having much luck when you so kindly interrupted us." 

"Why'd he reckon she put it there?" 

"Search me. Aunt Hermione isn't the type who's gonna leave her effing time turner out so any idiot can nick it, is she?" 

James carefully took his hand out of his pocket. "How about shoving it into a drawer?" He grinned, showing me the time turner. "It came flying at me when Hugo got angry." 

"Bloody hell, Jamie! Hugo won't be able to decide if he should deck you or kiss you!" 

"Bloody hope it's the former with those choices," he replied, dryly. He squinted, trying to read the engraving. "By decree of the Ministry of Magic, only to be used by Hermione Weasley." 

"Not surprising. Not like we wanted to use it, just look at it," I said, getting closer to look at the precious artefact. James untangled the chain and put it over his head. 

"Not funny, Jamie. Take it off," I warned, trying to wrench it out of his hands. Bonding moments aside, James had proven himself to be a giant arse for the majority of the day. Mucking about with time turners wasn't such a good idea. 

"Big enough for two, Al!" he said happily, forcefully putting the chain over my head. "Feels weird, doesn't it?" 

"I'm serious, we can't fuck around with this. The results could be..." 

"Catastrophic, I know. I was there for that lecture too." 

I finally tugged the time turne out of James's hands. It was quite beautiful, for a device that could weave through the fabric of time. I'd never touched one before, only seen pictures. 

"Oi, what does this do?" James asked. I froze. Before I could open my mouth to tell him to stop or pull the time turner away from him, his fingers spun the dials. 

Suddenly, the world around us began to spin.


	2. Not in Hogsmeade anymore

_Disclaimer on Ch 1_

**A/N:** I'm way ahead of schedule for this one! I hope you all enjoy :)

**Warnings:** Lots of swearing (those Potter boys just can't help it!) 

**Chapter Two: Not In Hogsmeade Anymore**

While the world at large spun and melted and chopped and changed, the only thing I could really concentrate on was the fact that James's bloody hand was digging in to my arm. If I could see anything other than trees shrinking or snow turning into green fields, I might have punched him.

Finally, and mercifully, the spinning began to stop. James finally released his death grip on my arm, and unluckily, though probably deservingly, he bent over and promptly vomited, nearly taking me down with him.

"What the fuck?" he croaked, wiping his mouth and standing up. He slipped off the time turner chain. I had half a mind to strangle him with it. I grabbed the time turner and shoved it in my pocket, away from prying Gryffindor fingers.

Where there was once snow was covered in lush, thick green grass. Somehow, the air felt cleaner, and I had never seen the sky over Scotland look so blue. All nature-loving aside, we were, for lack of a better word, fucked.

"Where are we?" he asked, surveying the area around him.

"I think you're asking _when_ are we? The time turner only moves you through time, not space. Probably something someone who was going to muck about with the time dials probably ought to know," I snapped.

Thankfully, there didn't seem to be anyone around, Muggle or otherwise.

James shrugged. "Us Gryffindors are pretty stupid in our bravery."

"And how do you suppose we're going to get back?" I asked, taking the time turner out of my pocket and keeping it far, far away from James.

"Don't you just...flip the dials back?" he asked, peering over my shoulder. "Besides, you're a Ravenclaw, you can figure it out, yeah?"

"WHY did you touch it in the first place?" I asked turning to him, with what I was hoping was a deathly look on my face. Completely called for under the circumstances, if you asked me.

"Ghosts made me do it."

"GHOSTS made you do it? You've gone off your nutter, James, you know that? This isn't some sort of joke! _We've travelled back through time_, you idiot!"

"It's really beautiful here," he said, moving away from me to further inspect our surroundings. "What year do you reckon it is?"

I chose not to answer him. Instead, I looked at the time turner and adjusted my glasses. The inscription seemed to glow against the backdrop of the greenery. I had never seen Hogsmeade look so beautiful.

_By decree of the Ministry of Magic, only to be used by Hermione Weasley. _

"Oi, the inscription states that Aunt Hermione is the only person who's allowed to use this thing. Maybe it's alerted her or better yet, the Ministry?"

James shrugged. "Fresh air, no Mum and Dad to whine in my ear about 'finding a real job' and a chance to be a part of history—literally!"

I wasn't surprised that James was not taking the whole thing seriously. He rarely did. I, on the other hand, was most definitely taking this seriously.

"What we need to do is put this thing back on and get home," I snapped.

James crossed his arms over his chest in his long-overused act of defiance. It didn't work with Mum and Dad; like hell it was going to work with me.

"Get your arse over here," I warned, taking my wand out as a precaution.

"I don't want to go back there," James replied.

"Well you can't bloody well stay here can you? I know you've had a hard time of it but for Merlin's sake, James, travelling back through time and messing around with history isn't going to solve anything!" I shouted.

I did feel sorry for him; I really did. There were quite a few drawbacks to being the middle child and keeping the peace between parents and siblings was one of them. I silently thanked Merlin that Lils was safe and sound in the shop in present time.

"You don't understand, Albus," he whispered.

"Well, talk to me about it! Talk to Lils about it. Talk to _someone_ about it, but you can't stay here."

James uncrossed his arms and dejectedly walked over and stood next to me. Boys weren't big on hugs but I slapped him on the back with as much masculine affection as I could tolerate. I looped the chain back over us.

"Goodbye, whatever year you are!" James shouted, his voice reaching the edge of the horizon. I would have laughed had I not been anxious to get back to the dreary, cold Hogsmeade of the twenty-first century.

James rubbed his hands together. "So, how do we get back?"

"I think that we just need to reverse the dials and spin them the same amount of times," I suggested. "Reckon we should cast a Disillusionment Charm on ourselves, just in case we come out, I dunno, on one of _Dad's_ Hogsmeade trips."

James nodded in agreement and expertly cast the charm on both of us. "Can't say I'm not tempted to take a quick jaunt through history, though."

I didn't exactly disagree with him. I was absolutely fascinated with the concept of time travel—having made it a career goal of mine. I worked for the Department of Mysteries though, and I knew that no matter how selfish I felt in this moment, this was going to be a one-way trip back home.

"Are you ready, Al?" James asked.

Ready to operate a time-turner stolen from my Aunt and used without sanction without fucking up history as we knew it? No.

"Yeah," I said, hoping James was concentrating on the faux-confidence in my voice.

With a deep breath, I went to spin the dials, but the sound of James gasping in what I prayed wasn't complete fear or horror, distracted me. "What _now_?" I snapped, hoping to get the hell out of here, and the sooner the better.

"Bloody hell, Al," he said. "I didn't see it before."

"See what?"

I looked back at what was previously an empty horizon to see something peculiar and very familiar sitting on the top of the hill.

"Is that Hogwarts?" James asked incredulously. "What happened to it?"

Well, it certainly looked like Hogwarts. It was in the exact same spot, but it looked like half of it had been demolished. Or...not been built yet.

"Bloody hell..."

"Albus...is that..."

Yep, it sure was.

"Jamie, that's Hogwarts being _built_."

The time-turner felt hot in my hand, reminding me of what we should have been doing. I couldn't tear my eyes away from the image of the castle. I had spent so much time in the castle and to see it like this was mind-blowing. Once, Dad had shown me a memory in his Auror-issued pensieve of the way Hogwarts looked during the Battle of Hogwarts. I thought the memory of seeing my childhood school up in flames would stay with me forever.

This was so much better...or, so much worse. I stared at the castle, my eyes focusing on where bricks should have already been. The place where the Quidditch grounds would have been lay vacant. Now that everything was clear, I could see some tents circling the grounds.

James's voice cut through my thoughts like a knife.

"Are you telling me we've travelled back _one thousand years_?"

Aunt Hermione would be proud that for even a split second, it appeared James paid attention in History of Magic. Or maybe he'd read _Hogwarts: A History_. Either scenario was unlikely. I felt a bit ashamed for letting my Ravenclaw elitist attitudes colour the attitude towards my brother, but only for a second. It was the idiot's fault that we were now standing in a field watching bloody Hogwarts being built.

"James, we really need to go."

He looked like he was having as much trouble as I was with the entire thing. The lure was just too tempting.

"Yeah, alright."

I was very glad there wasn't going to be a fight on my hands. After witnessing the fight between Mum, Dad and James earlier, I wasn't in any mood to start World War III. As I studied the time-turner, I thought it was rather ironic that the fight had been only minutes ago, yet here we were, in a time not expecting to see the great Harry Potter for another thousand years.

"Here goes nothing," I muttered and carefully spun the dials. James closed his eyes to avoid the spinning sensation and I followed suit.

Nothing happened.

I opened my eyes for confirmation. Yep, it was confirmed. We hadn't moved. Not even one little measly year. I felt an unfamiliar panic start to rise in my chest. This is where most Ravenclaws failed.

"Oi, what did you do?" protested James, coming to the same conclusion I had, only seconds later.

I felt like ripping off my glasses and smashing them, just so I didn't have to look at the greenery anymore. Frustration was one of my weaknesses.

"_I _didn't do anything," I growled at him.

"Well that much is obvious," he replied.

I didn't even notice the time-turner was still in my hand until James gently picked it up to inspect it. Like he would be able to work out what the fuck had gone wrong.

"It didn't work," I said, a little fear as well as awe and surprise creeping into my voice. "We're stuck."

"We're not stuck," said James, a little too forcibly for it to sound remotely genuine. "Give it another try, yeah?"

I didn't even bother to close my eyes and spun the dials. Fat lot of good that did.

"We're fucked," I announced, slipping the chain off the pair of us and gripping it tightly, hoping by some act of divine intervention, it would start to work of its own will. No such luck.

"We're wizards, Al," James pointed out, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Not only that, we're the noble descendents of Harry _effing_ Potter!"

I couldn't help but notice the way that James, for all his arguing and annoying Dad, would still never dare take his name in vain. It gave me hope for when, or if, we ever returned to our dysfunctional but loving family back in the twenty-first century.

"Yeah, so?" I asked, trying to understand what point he was trying to make.

"So Aunt Hermione is a witch. There's no way she would have a broken time-turner lying about. I would bet you a thousand galleons that she's put some kind of stupid magic on that thing and that's why we can't get back."

Surprisingly, he made a good point.

"Besides, us Potters, we're crafty."

Another good point. He was right. No need to panic. Not yet, anyway. I took a deep breath and realised that we might just be here for a long while yet. I looked at my older brother expectantly.

"So, eldest offspring of Harry Potter, bravest Gryffindor to have ever walked the lands..." I stopped when I realised that wasn't exactly true. If we were right, and of course we were, if Hogwarts castle was being built, then Godric Gryffindor himself was probably just up the hill.

James's eyes lit up. I knew that look. That look had caused me to get the worst ear-bashing of my life from Mum when she found out we'd accidentally set fire to Lily's new broom with Lily still on it. James was so easy to read. I hoped I wasn't the same. I touched my glasses, silently praising them from being able to shield some of my thoughts and feelings through the magic lenses.

"Gryffindor..." he repeated, directing his attention to the castle.

And there it was. A plan. Or, rather, the start of a very bad, very risky and surely idiotic but most decidedly brave plan.

Suddenly, both James and I heard a noise. Thankful we had had the foresight to cast a Disillusionment Charm on ourselves, we both drew our wands. I quickly shoved the time-turner back into the safety of my pocket.

An old man on a brown horse came over the clearing. He had a long beard and was wearing thick Wizarding robes that matched the 'outfit' the horse itself was wearing.

"Who goes there?" he demanded. "We have detected the use of magic in these parts and demand you show yourselves at once!"

I shook my head to James just in case he got one of his not-so-brilliant ideas. It figures the Gryffindor would interpret that to mean, 'sure, give the strange man from the Founders era an all-access pass to our current hidden position'.

James cast _Finite Incantatum_ and stepped out into full view of the old man.


	3. Fool's Errands

**Disclaimer: **The riddle that appears comes from Tolkien's _The Hobbit_. **  
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**Chapter Three: Fool's Errands**

"Err, hello there," James started. I realised that when James had ended his own Disillusionment Charm, mine went right along with his. Idiot. The strange man was looking at us as if we had grown extra heads. Knowing James's spellwork skills, we just might've.

"My name is..."

"Silence!" the stranger commanded, pointing his wand at us. Within seconds, both of ours were out. Dad taught us well.

"So you are wand-carriers," he noted.

"Figured that out, did you? Right quick one you are there," James snapped.

"You will speak when spoken to. I am unsure of why you are here, at this location. Surely your Portkey would have taken you straight to the castle campsite?"

Right, portkeys. Who knew they were using Portkeys at this time? What were they using—pewter cauldrons and blacksmith hammers?

"I'm afraid our Portkey may have been tampered with," I intervened, shooting James a look. Hopefully he'd get it this time.

"Your clothes are questionable and I am unsure of what contraption sits on your face," he said, indicating to my glasses.

"A new invention of mine," I supplied, trying to nudge James who was currently in a staring competition with the horse. "It allows me to see the world without having the images blurred."

He nodded. "I apologise for my earlier abruptness. My name is Delenor Darubius the III, Castle Groundsman. My Lady sent me to investigate when the wards alerted us to your presence. She is anxious to meet you so the building of the main quarters can begin."

Bloody hell, he thought we were here to work on _Hogwarts_. I didn't see too many options. We could duel the poor bloke and Obliviate him but that might cause a disruption in the timeline. We could go along and help, but that would cause a disruption in the time. Or, we could Apparate the hell out of there, lose the Time Turner and fuck things up anyway.

Dingbat, or whatever the hell his name was, began to rummage through a bag draped over the horse's saddle.

"Is he serious?" James asked.

"I think so, James," I whispered back, gripping my wand.

"I reckon we should go."

"Are you daft? How the hell do we explain ourselves? If you're getting all nostalgic about the place, I promise to take you to visit Hagrid when we get home but now really isn't the time."

James smiled and for a fleeting second, I saw just how much he looked like Mum.

"Al, all we have is time."

I thought about it for a moment. We did have a broken time turner. We didn't have anywhere else to go. Maybe James was right. If we very careful, we could minimise the effect our presence had on the timeline.

Finally, the man brought out what looked like a wax candle. James and I watched as he cast the _Portus_ spell on the object.

"I cast this myself so you should have no problem getting to the correct destination. I would advise you transfigure your clothing. I am unsure where you obtained the designs for such ill-fitting garments as they are impractical and unnecessary. When you have arrived, please meet My Lady in the blue tent. I would advise you steer clear of the green one," he advised.

"Many thanks for your assistance, kind sir," James said, dramatically.

The man bowed his head in reply. "All magic folk are welcome here, of that you can be sure. Kind gentlemen, welcome to Hogwarts."

oOo

I always hated the feeling of being tossed through the air on a Portkey and right now wasn't any different. We finally landed on the ground with a thud and my glasses flew right off my face. This was why I kept the Floo Network in business.

I poked around until I found James. "Oi, my glasses fell off. Bit of help?"

James was quite used to being on glasses-alert. I felt them being pressed into my hands. "Bloody hell," he whispered. I slipped my glasses back on.

Seeing the half-built castle from far away didn't even compare to the sight up close. Every stone looked new and set against the beauty of the greenery, Hogwarts looked absolutely amazing.

"Wow."

"Wow is an understatement. Makes you appreciate all those crazy things at school when we were there."

I took the opportunity to look around. Obviously, we were where the Quidditch fields were now. Or in the future, rather. There were about eight tents in total and from experience, I knew they were probably magically expanded. Piles of stones littered the area and it looked as if a small community were living here.

"The blue tent," said James, pointing to the third tent on the left. My heart nearly stopped when I noticed the insignia that adorned the blue flag that was planted at the entrance of the tent.

I flicked my eyes over to the tents on the other side; green, red and yellow.

"An eagle," James breathed and immediately followed suit, looking at the other coloured tents. "Lion, badger, snake..."

"James..."

"Albus, you're about to tell me that we have to go into that tent and talk to Rowena Ravenclaw, aren't you?"

He knew me well.

"Better summon that Gryffindor courage, Big Brother."

"Better remove your head from your arse, Little Brother."

I took a deep breath. Now was not the time to fall apart. There was so much we still didn't know. It was very likely that behind the thick tent material was one of the Founders of Hogwarts; the patron of my House.

"How much are we going to tell her?" James asked anxiously.

"Not much. Well, not at first."

"Can she be trusted?" James asked. For all his disdain at Dad's impromptu training over the years, he managed to pick enough sleuthing up. He wouldn't have made a half-bad Auror. Pity.

"It's bloody _Ravenclaw _herself, Jamie. She's the smartest witch of all time."

"Don't let Aunt Hermione hear you say that," he grumbled.

"_Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure_," I quoted.

"Men should be brave...something something," James said, attempting to quote Gryffindor himself. It needed some work.

"Just follow my lead," I advised. I took a deep breath. "Keep your wand at the ready at all times. If anything happens, I'm going to grab your hand and Apparate. Do not under _any_ circumstances answer her questions. Leave it to me."

James nodded in response.

Before I could gather what was left of my courage and push open the make-shift door, I heard a voice.

"Gentlemen, if you please, my patience wears thin with these long days."

Taking the cue, I pushed through the tent door. The first thing that struck me was the medieval decor that adorned the walls of the tent. A thick, blue tapestry covered the back wall. Piles of stone were in the corner and table covered in large pieces of parchment were in the middle of the tent. A small door, which obviously lead to her sleeping quarters was in the far corner. Torches lit up the room and a window let a small amount of light onto the main table.

It was then my eyes drifted to the woman standing next to the table. Suddenly, a feeling that I had never encountered before swept over me. If I hadn't been part of the most logical and reasonable group of Hogwarts graduates, I would have sworn that in that moment, my heart actually stopped beating.

Rowena Ravenclaw.

My mouth felt dry as she turned around. Her hair was thick and dark and fell down her shoulders in loose waves. Her eyes were a striking purple and her long, blue gown made them stand out. Her eyelashes were long and her lips were full.

In short, she was _breathtaking_.

I barely noticed James as he bowed slightly. For once, James actually had the right idea. I followed suit. Ravenclaw smiled.

"Welcome to Hogwarts, Gentlemen. Before we speak, I must ask of you one simple favour."

I was very glad James generally ignored any advice I gave him as he provided the words that in that moment, I was incapable of saying.

"Yes, My lady?" he asked, cordially.

Ravenclaw smiled again and I felt a strange, floating feeling. "A simple riddle, if you will."

I nodded in response. Riddles were my thing.

"This thing all things devours:  
>Birds, beasts, trees, flowers;<br>Gnaws iron, bites steel;  
>Grinds hard stones to meal;<br>Slays king, ruins town  
>And beats high mountain down."*<p>

The riddle had been the very first test to get into the Ravenclaw common room. I had been proud to figure it out, at least before Rose. The irony didn't escape me now.

"Time," I finally said.

James looked relieved as Ravenclaw curtsied.

"Very good, Gentlemen. I am honoured to be standing amongst equals. Wit beyond measure..."

"Is man's greatest treasure," I finished.

"Precisely," she beamed.

"Give me a bucket," James whispered.

"Thank you for answering our call," Rowena said, transfiguring a pile of rocks into some chairs, motioning us to be seated. "Please, sit, we have much to discuss."

Before I even opened my mouth, James leant forward and whispered in my ear. "I know, I know, you do all the talking. I'll just sit here and look pretty...along with someone else, who looks _smoking hot_ by the way. Hogwarts: A History never told you that part."

I ignored him and took my proffered seat. "Thank you for your hospitality," I started.

"And whom might I be offering it to?" she asked, bluntly. Her eyes shone with the smallest amount of suspicion. Kind but also smart.

I definitely liked that in a woman.

"My name is Albus Severus P..., ah Albus Severus. This is my brother James."

"Albus and James Severus."

"Yep...that's us!" James said awkwardly, earning himself a forceful nudge.

"And who sent you here? Was it Godric or Helga?"

"Gryffindor," James stated.

Rowena visibly relaxed. "Godric hasn't been sending too many. I was beginning to worry. We need as many willing and able wizards as possible if we are to have the school ready in time."

I nodded in agreement although, truthfully, I had no idea what she was talking about. Ready for what?

"You two will help greatly. I thank you for your interest and cooperation. Hogwarts will be a safe haven for all students. I'm sure I don't have to tell you that providing our children with an education is our top priority."

"What is expected of us?" I asked politely. She looked at me strangely and then I felt my face blush red in a very Weasley fashion. I had been staring.

"We will be going over the plans this evening when Salazar returns."

If Rowena had made my heart stop, then hearing Slytherin's name made my blood run cold. Sure, we were a bit more enlightened than most about equality amongst the Houses and all that rubbish; I was nearly put in Slytherin myself. But Slytherins in my time were like anybody else. The real Slytherin was something different altogether. It looked like James was having the same thoughts as I was.

"Slytherin," he said, eyeing Rowena.

"Indeed. He has quite a reputation behind him, wouldn't you agree?"

I went to make a comment but thought better of it.

Rowena stood and out of chivalry, James and I followed suit.

"If you wouldn't mind, Gentlemen, I must take leave. Please feel free to look around the campsite. If you could return to my tent in about four hours, Salazar will be back and we can begin our negotiations."

"Farewell, My Lady," James said.

I felt like decking him, the suave bastard. I couldn't even open my mouth to speak to her. I awkwardly waved to her and tried to refrain from swearing as James shoved me out of the door.

"Bloody hell!"

Yep, that pretty much summed it up.

"She's quite fit, isn't she?" James mused. I shoved him.

"Shut it, will you?"

"Someone's got it bad! Albus and Rowena, sitting on a broom, he kissed her and vroom-vroom-VROOM!"

I had no idea where he picked up that stupid rhyme but I suspected Lils had something to do with it. Regardless, it was stupid and annoying and I couldn't believe I had to wait four hours until I saw her again.

"Piss off," I mumbled, looking around. I shoved my hand into my hidden pocket and held the time turner.

"So what's your brilliant plan, now?" James asked, craning his neck to look at what used to be Gryffindor change rooms. "Are we supposed to just show her the time turner and ask her to fix the bloody thing?"

"We're not even sure if it's broken, James. And I'm certainly not telling her later while Salazar effing Slytherin is in the room eyeing us off!"

A good point, if I said so myself.

"So we're just supposed to what—hang around, put our wands to work and all that?"

"Just for now James. We can't just spring this on her. To be honest, I'm not even sure if time turners existed then...err, now. Maybe that's why it doesn't work."

James's face started to look a little white. "You reckon we could be stuck here?"

A part of me felt panicked right along with James and then Rowena's face flashed before my eyes.

"We'll figure something out, don't worry."

A strange look crossed James's face and his eyes widened. I heard a noise behind me.

"Bloody hell, it's beautiful..." James said in awe. I turned around.

In the distance, a Hungarian Horntail slept, lazily.

Instinctively, I clutched my wand as James took a few steps forward. "Look at it, Al!"

"James, mate..."

He smiled at me. "You have your kicks. My turn."

Not for the first time, I wondered just how he had managed to even stay alive this song. I shook my head, mentally cursing myself for even thinking such an awful thing about my brother. Underneath all the arrogance and bravado, James was obviously still recovering and it had felt like a lifetime. I watched him, from my spot safe near the tents as my brother walked straight up to the dragon. I held my breath, waiting for the fear to set in.

I couldn't have been prouder as he held his wand and slowly and softly touched the dragon.

Gryffindors did have some admirable qualities, after all.


	4. Unexpected

**Chapter Four: Unexpected**

I was all for James's dragon bonding time but after three hours cowering from the thing, I'd had enough.

"Yes, we know you love the dragon and the dragon loves you! Can we start, I dunno, thinking about how the hell we're going to get home?"

"Yeah, in a minute..." he replied, fully intending to keep on doing whatever the hell it was that idiot Gryffindors did with stupid dragons.

I could never see why James and Charlie loved them so much. To be quite honest, they had always scared me shitless.

"_They don't bite, Al! They're harmless!"_

Bullshit. Once, Aunt Hermione took me, Rose and Scorpius to visit Uncle Charlie on the reserve. Rose and Scorpius were fine—getting up close and personal to the stupid thing, Norberta her name was. As soon as I went within metres of the stupid thing, it tried to bite my head off.

It was unpleasant to say the least.

"Jamesssss," I whined again, remembering how much he hated the tortured middle child act. Brilliant on my part.

"Yeah all right, keep your tits on," he grunted and moved away from the dragon.

"Finally," I snapped and spun on my heel to start the trudge back to the campsite. As James reluctantly joined me, we both felt a shift in the wind around us. James frowned.

"That was weird," he said, looking around suspiciously. "There's nobody around."

I saw him grip his wand and I followed suit. Even though I had glasses, I still had trouble seeing the world around me at times. I could barely pick out an amateur Disillusionment Charm. James however, had the sharpest eyesight around. It was only a flick of his eyes but at least I caught it and tried to avoid staring at the spot he was motioning to.

Neither of us were fantastic at non-verbal spells, so before we could open our mouths to do something to protect our arses, we found ourselves being hurtled through the air.

As I landed on the familiar ground with a thud, I silently praised Merlin that my dingbat brother at least had the foresight and sense to keep his wand grasped firmly in his hand.

"Expelliarmus!" he shouted into the vast nothingness of the field.

I followed suit by casting the strongest Shield Charm I could muster.

"What the f—"

Instead of seeing a blissfully empty field or even a _wand _flying through the air, James and I were greeted with the sight of a man, dressed entirely in dark green robes. He had obviously removed his concealment.

If I hadn't been scared shitless of the thought that some medieval lunatic was about to curse my bollocks off, I might've had a long, hard think about who the bloody hell was after us and why.

The man, who I finally noticed had a dark beard and hair and emerald robes, looked positively murderous.

"I said, EXPELLIARMUS!" James shouted.

The man tossed aside James's spell like a chocolate frog wrapper.

I finally got my arse off the ground and pulled on James's arm. Something about the man seemed very familiar. I had a fairly good memory and then I realised where I had seen that ugly face before. On a bunch of shit at Malfoy Manor. In the Slytherin common room. In Aunt Hermione's bloody coffee table version of _Hogwarts: A History_.

"How dare you set foot on these grounds!" the man bellowed. "Filthy scum! I ought to feed you to the dragons, pluck out your bones from their stomachs and turn you into furniture!"

That wasn't even possible, but anyway. I kept the Shield Charm working.

"I am Albus Severus and this is my brother James," I introduced us from the supposed safety of my _protego_. "We are guests of Rowena Ravenclaw."

The old man's face softened a little but he still glared at us with contempt. I realised I was still calling him the old man in my head despite having a really strong suspicion as to his identity.

"She does not have the authority to invite guests onto the site for our school," he hissed. I recognised the irony nearly straight away. In fact, I was surprised I hadn't shat my pants yet. Facing Salazar Slytherin was something that the great Harry Potter hadn't even done.

"Have you been tested?"

James's face crinkled. "For what? A sexually transmitted disease?"

I would bet seven sickles he'd have wished he'd shut his big mouth once he realised who it was. The old man's eyes blazed and he raised his wand.

"Blood," he said simply, and shot a non-verbal at us. It was deflected by my superb Shield Charm. Rushing into things without thinking wasn't my thing, but I could still hold a finely crafted charm. Reckon old Flickwick would be proud.

"Keep your pants on," James huffed. I wanted to remind him that the old man probably wasn't wearing pants underneath his old-fashioned wizarding robe but now probably wasn't the time. "Why'd you want our blood for?"

"Mudbloods are not welcome on the site," he spat. "Not if I can help it."

I really wanted to set a jinx on him. One day, when Mum and Aunt Hermione were taking us to the joke shop when we were younger, some knob called out 'mudblood.' Back then, I didn't know what it meant, but the look on Mum's face was murderous. Next thing we knew, the man's arse was as big as an elephant. Mum swore it wasn't her.

I looked over at James and recognised the same look as Mum had all those years ago. "There's nothing wrong with Muggleborns," he shouted, shaking his wand at the old man.

My jaw dropped. James was about to start this discussion with the sodding king of the blood supremacists.

"Scum of the wizarding world," old man Salazar continued. "Should be put down like the crups they are..."

A jet of red light pushed through the shield charm and was deflected easily. Before either could open their mouths, a loud thunderclap sounded in the clear, blue sky.

"ENOUGH," a booming female voice sounded. Surprisingly, the old man lowered his wand, leaving James pointing it at a seemingly defenceless man. Rowena finally came into view, over the small hill. Her hair was loose now and held back with a simple head band. Her blue robes set off her eyes perfectly. I hardly noticed anything else as she gracefully approached us.

My head swam with images of her and without sounding like a pussy—she'd nearly taken my breath away.

"Lower your wand," Rowena commanded James, who hesitated for only a second. "Thank you," she breathed airily.

"Is it true you have asked these, these _scoundrels _to stay?" the old man demanded.

Rowena gently touched James's wand hand before rounding on the old man. "How dare you draw your wand on our wizarding brethren? Have you gone completely insane or do you no longer recognise friend from foe?"

"This school is not just yours, Ravenclaw," the old man growled.

"Oi, leave her alone!" I shouted, despite my better judgement. He glared at me and I felt like a victim of Medusa. Come to think of it, Medusa would have probably been a Slytherin all right.

James looked at me with a mixture of fear, surprise and what sort of looked like pride. I wasn't sure—he'd never shown it before.

"Bloody git," I heard him mutter.

"Albus, this is not necessary," Rowena assured me and turned her attention away from me.

"Salazar, these kind gentlemen are here to help us. It is not for you to decide otherwise. And take your prejudice elsewhere, it does belong on grounds which will nurture and protect young wizards of any kind."

I wish I could look away from the scene in front of me to look at James's face but I was mesmerised. Salazar, as I could now confirm, clutched his wand, which was thankfully still at his side. I feared that he would raise it and all be obliterated. I then looked at Rowena, her face aflame with anger. I was amazed even more with the words she uttered next: "If you so much as breathe a word of your archaic beliefs to Helga, I will not defend your honour when Godric ties your limbs to a thestral and sends it flying."

Salazar Slytherin, patron saint of snakes and cockheads, turned around and with a whip of his wand, Disapparated with a crack.

"Merlin's fucken grey beard, that was Salazar Slytherin?" James called out seconds after he had gone. "I just spoke to Slytherin! I should have kneed him in his shrivelled Muggle-hating balls!"

I would have been equally as dumbfounded as my brother, but the sight of a mildly startled and curious Rowena had me shutting my gob.

"Your words are rather curious to me," she stated, looking at James up and down. "Although I certainly understand the connotation behind them."

James finally realised he was in the company of a lady and smiled bashfully. "M'sorry. It's just that—wow, Salazar Slytherin."

Rowena raised an eyebrow. "You have heard of him?"

Boy, had we ever. And he was even scarier in real life. James was talking about his shrivelled balls and I was more worried about mine going the same way. This is why I wasn't an Auror. Controlled danger in the labs in the Deparment of Mysteries were one thing but I was a puddle of goo in the face of real danger.

Some offspring of Harry Potter, I was.

James managed to pull his shit together and realise that twenty-first century vernacular wasn't appropriate for the 1100s. "He has a reputation," he stated simply.

Rowena motioned for us to follow her back up the hill, on foot. "Ah, I am to understand you have heard of his philosophy before then? About Muggle-born witches and wizards?"

I nodded. "His thoughts are far reaching, I will admit. Nobody pays them much heed where we come from."

Not anymore, at least.

Rowena's face broke out into a smile and if she had asked me to hex my own brother right then, I would have done it.

"That is a relief. I fear for Salazar if this is the path he chooses to follow. We are all equal and all in this together. The school will fail if it is only built to educate those who are Pureblood."

I could definitely attest to that.

"It won't fail."

Rowena looked at me and I could swear she saw straight through me. Dad told me a story once, that he swore old Dumbledore could see him wearing the Invisibility Cloak. I reckon this is how he felt. I'm sure she didn't know that we were time travellers from a year where she was counted as one of the most famous witches of all time and had a bleeding chocolate frog card but I bet she knew something wasn't right with us.

"I hope you are right," she concluded and the rest of the trip back to the camp was silent.


	5. A Sound Discussion

**A/N: **A huge thank you to my beta, Toni, who has kept this chapter from being _completely_ overrun by Al and Jamie's pottymouths :)**  
><strong>

**Chapter Five: A Sound Discussion **

Nothing major happened after we finally returned to the camp. After our run-in with Old Man Slytherin, James and I opted out of any other meet-and-greets. Thankfully, it seemed that neither Hufflepuff nor Gryffindor were around. James seemed pretty angry that the ringleader of his stupid House wasn't around but it suited me just fine.

I wasn't stupid—I knew that the fewer people we interacted with, the less likely we were to mess up something in the future. Just us being here and breathing the same air as the Founders did might ruin something completely. Maybe when we got back Hagrid might've been eaten by a bleeding Hippogriff or Thestrals might not exist.

I wasn't a stranger to time theory. Working for the Department of Mysteries certainly had its charm after all. As I crawled into the Dark Ages version of a bed, I thought back to Hugo. If only James had given the wretched time turner back to him, we wouldn't be in this mess.

The sound of James exhaling from his own bed interrupted my thoughts.

"This is fucked," he announced, casting light with his wand. Without my glasses, all I could see were shadows. Thanks again for that, Dad.

"You don't say?" I said tiredly. I did want to scream at him for being such an idiot and sending us back through time. But he sounded tired. And not the kind of tired that comes from nearly shitting your pants in the face of Salazar Slytherin. The kind that comes from being sent back in time when your life is a complete bucket of shit anyway.

"I didn't mean to send us here," he said, a bit quieter this time. Ah, there it was. The guilt that always set in after he knew he had done something stupid and his pure nerve had run out. "Al, are we going to be stuck here?"

I wanted to say no and call him a git but seriously, I had no clue. "I dunno, Jamie."

He turned the light out again and my eyes settled against the black backdrop. In its own way, it was kind of peaceful.

He was silent for a few more minutes and I could tell that he was thinking. Rare moments they were. "I was such a prick before we left. What if—what if we don't see Mum and Dad again? Lils? Fuck, even Hugo..."

This was becoming too depressing. I shifted in my bed and even though I couldn't quite see my big brother's face across the tent, I could feel his eyes staring back at me. Just like when we were kids but it was him trying to make me feel better. Oh, how the times had changed.

"You were a bit of a prat," I said evenly. "But I reckon no matter what, Mum and Dad knew..._know _that you love them."

He groaned now. "If we ever get home, I'm going to tell them I'm sorry," he declared.

I snorted in response to this. "As if."

"Yeah, alright enough," he said defensively. "Although, if..._when_ we get back, I'm going to sort shit out. I'm leaving the sodding shop. Freddie and Liz can have it."

This was a rather noble gesture but I knew there was something more. "And why is that?"

"I'm going to Romania."

I honestly didn't know what to say. In moments like this I wish I had some of Jamie's bravery. Even if sometimes his advice was fucked, he was always willing to give it. I had brains, sure, but I wasn't smart. Not like my big brother. "Nobody expects you to go back there, mate. Mum and Dad were probably thinking along the lines of helping out Hagrid or Uncle Neville."

The silence spoke volumes. He was clearly weighing things up in his mind. "It's bleeding obvious though, isn't it? I'm fucking miserable in London because I don't belong there, Al. I miss the trees, I miss the smell of the dragons..."

"The dragon dung too?" I interrupted and felt a zap on my arm. "Ouch!"

"You know what I mean!" James said crossly. "I think that's what he would have wanted."

I really couldn't answer that one. "You always knew best," I whispered to the darkness and fought the urge to cry. I was a man and _men _didn't cry. I was a kid when it happened and after that day, I refused. I still refuse.

"Al?" James asked, his voice a little huskier than before.

"Yeah?"

"If we get home..."

"_When_," I corrected him. "Hopefully _when_."

"When we get home...remind me to punch Malfoy. He knocked up our Rosie."

I couldn't help but laugh. "Get in line. I'm third, right behind Uncle Ron and Dad."

James snorted. "Little blighter. Imagine how that conversation went."

I laughed again and after James and I had a good, solid laugh at our uncle's expense, blissful sleep finally took us.

o0o

The first thing I did when I heard the ruckus outside was grab my glasses. It spoke volumes that I grabbed them before even thinking about picking up my wand. But then again, I had clearly forgotten that we were in the 1100s and effing Hogwarts was just being built.

I looked at James and sighed loudly. The git was never going to get laid again if he slept like a pig. His legs had come out of the blankets and he was sleeping on his face again. Unsurprisingly there was drool on the makeshift pillow. At least the prick had remembered to transfigure himself some pyjamas.

"Get up," I said, pulling on my robes from the day before. James only grunted in response. I grabbed my wand and sent a short zap. He stirred after that.

"You're a knob, you know that?" he grumbled, turning away. "Why are you in my room anyway?"

Seems like he forgot were, or more accurately, when we were. "We're not in that pigsty you call a room. Tent, Hogwarts, 1100s, Salazar Slytherin, ringing any bells?"

I'm not sure if I expected him to jump up majestically and screech with realisation but anything would have been better than his reaction. He just rolled back over and shrugged.

_Shrugged. _

"So why are we up so early?" he complained. He noticed the drool on the pillow and flipped it. Disgusting.

"We're here under the guise of helping build Hogwarts so it stands to reason that we should, you know, _help build Hogwarts_," I reasoned. "Although, if I'm being honest, I am slightly worried that it might disrupt the timeline somehow."

At the notion of disrupting anything, James perked up. "Like having the stairs to the girls' bedrooms operational?"

If I had met a girl at school that didn't think I was a carbon copy of my father, I would have liked that too. "More like, Voldemort wins the war and we're never born."

He frowned at that one. "Well wouldn't that suck? Everyone would think you're Harry Potter fanboy," he pointed out.

As if people didn't think that now anyway. "Master Severus?" a voice called from outside. I shot a look to James. "Get dressed. Now."

I thought I pulled off the Mum voice pretty well and I opened the tent. I let myself take a moment. The air smelt fresh. That sounded pretty ridiculous, even for me, but it did. And I had watched James play Quidditch out here enough to remember what the Hogwarts air smelt like. This wasn't it.

This was absolutely magical.

There were quite a few more witches and wizards about than I had expected. There were a few males in their fine clothing and I suspected those were the ones whom our old mate Slytherin had called upon. They reminded me of the Malfoys.

In amongst them though, there were a few people that looked like they had just been plucked from a poor village. I would bet my last galleon that Slytherin was probably frantic with the idea that dirty half-breeds had dared come onto his land. But, as long as Rowena was here, it looked like he wasn't going to get his way.

Not until he put the bleeding basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets. Blimey, he was actually going to have to stealthily build the Chamber of Secrets. I thought of the story of Mum and Dad in the Chamber and how both of them had nearly died there. Right then, I sort of wished that we had been sent back here for a reason and not just because my idiot brother accidentally spun the time turner.

But, flights of fancy were always more of a Lily thing and she wasn't here. She was where she was supposed to be, sitting safely in Hogsmeade, a thousand years from now. James finally joined me and we both watched as the witches and wizards scurried about.

"Master Severus!" the same voice called and I saw Ravenclaw making her way toward us. James was about to open his mouth. I nudged him "She's talking to me," I stressed. I didn't miss the childish grin that followed.

"Al and Rowena, sitting in a tree..."

"Shut it," I growled as Rowena finally reached us. "A wondrous morning to you, my lady," I said as calmly as possible. That was probably the ponciest thing that I'd ever said, but it did manage to bring a smile to her face.

"Rowena will do," she said. "And yes, it is a fine morning indeed, especially if we are to start. I wanted to consult with you on the plans for main dining area. Both of you, if you are willing?"

"We'd love to," James beamed and grabbed his wand. "But do we really need to look at plans, Rowena? I mean, isn't it a better idea to you know, go right ahead and start doing it?"

I wish a hole would appear and swallow me whole. Luckily, Rowena seemed amused rather than angry or annoyed. I was going to punch the git when we were alone.

"Perhaps where you are from, Master James, but I would rather think if we would like the school to be standing for over a thousand years, we should not forget the planning stage."

James grunted. "Yeah yeah, it'll still be there," he muttered under his breath.

"I'd love to see them," I said, probably a bit too eagerly. I flushed red as Rowena's eyes lit up. "I mean, if it's not too much trouble. I'd love to see your plans. Now, if you're ready. I mean if you'd like me to," I stumbled and wished that hole was about.

I'd never really tried to impress a woman before. It was harder than it looked. Most women came on to me because they thought I was either Dad or very much like him. None of them ever really hung around when they realised I wasn't going to introduce them.

"I would love that," she beamed back. "James, perhaps it would be more prudent if you were to report to Eramus Formsbutter over at the Magical Construction Tent. I believe he will need your assistance."

At the thought of doing something constructive, James brightened up considerably. "Over there?"

Rowena nodded. "Please let him know that I sent you."

With a quick wave, James buggered off. And now Rowena and I were about to go into her tent and overlook plans for Hogwarts. Fuck me.


	6. Thieves and Spies

**A/N: **I know it's been a while, but I definitely haven't forgotten this story. A huge thank you to my beta, Lacey, who has stuck by me through thick and thin. Thanks to everyone still reading.

**Chapter Six: Thieves and Spies**

"After you, Master Severus," Rowena said politely. Even at school, I hadn't heard anyone be polite around me- especially at family gatherings. It set me on edge.

"Err- thanks."

Smooth.

Large parchment was spread out evenly on the table in the middle of the room. Even though it was daytime, flames adorned the room, casting a glow on everything. Rowena gestured to the table.

I stretched my arms out. I had actually studied Hogwarts Architecture as part of my Department of Mysteries training. I used Arithmancy everyday at the Ministry. A lot of it was theoretical but I knew how to make it work. Here, I was in my element.

And bloody hell, I was going to reverse engineer Hogwarts. James and I were building Hogwarts. I bet Mum'd lay off us if she knew. I pushed my glasses up and concentrated on the plans in front of me.

I frowned. These were supposed to be for the dining room, weren't they?

"What do you think?"

I looked up to see Rowena's smiling face. I looked back at the parchment. Something was definitely off here. The designs weren't like I remembered them. There was no way the archway would stay, even held by magic.

The ceiling was too low and not enchanted and the hallway leading to the Great Hall was too narrow. Bloody hell, these were amateur mistakes! I pulled off my glasses and rubbed my eyes. It was a stupid habit and now more than ever I wished I didn't have the ruddy things.

"Look, Madam Ravenclaw.."

She smiled warmly. "Rowena, please. Go on?"

My mouth was cotton. Was I seriously about to correct Rowena Ravenclaw's designs of the Great Hall because her algorithms were off? Was it like telling Merlin to not practise magic?

"These designs are wrong," I said quickly. "I mean, not wrong wrong but...I mean look here, having this hallway leading up to the Great Hall isn't smart. It needs to be bigger and join there. And the ceiling is too low. There won't be room for enchantments."

Rowena's eyes were huge. Did I insult her intelligence. "I see," she said evenly. "And the archway?"

"If you want it to last a thousand years instead of twenty, you need to use Beeterbutter's 26th Algorithm," I said matter-of-factly.

Rowena was quiet for a moment. "Bowtrox Beeterbutter?" she asked quietly. I nodded. "Otherwise the force from from using the staircases will make the archway collapse."

Rowena sighed. "I had hoped I was wrong," she started. "I really could have used you. Incarcerous!"

Before I could even blink, thick ropes had me bound from Rowena's wand, which was pointed right at me. Wait, what? The closest I had ever come to being tied up was with Sarah Finnegan and the less I thought about that unfortunate evening, the better.

The ropes hurt! Moreover, why the hell was I in them?

"Rowena?"

She grabbed the plans from the table and held them up. "Every single one."

Huh? I squinted. Interrogation by torchlight sounded romantic but even with glasses, I couldn't see what she was pointing out. "I really have no idea what you're talking about."

Oh shit, James. Is that why she had sent him away? I struggled against the ropes to no avail. In fact, I think I just had more rope burn than before. Now, I was pissed. "James?"

"Is he even your brother? Or is he part of this elaborate scheme? He seems simple enough but then again, all the capable scoundrels do."

Simple and a scoundrel? If I wasn't so annoyed or bloody terrified I would have congratulated her for working out my brother in one succinct sentence. I was at a loss. "I really have no idea what you're talking about."

Honesty. Well, close enough.

She moved the plans closer. "There are very few people I know that are able to determine the failure of these plans."

Bloody hell. The plans were a fake. The plans were a test- one that I'd apparently just passed-err, failed. I'd say being in ropes meant a failing grade on this one. She leant in closer. "Master Severus, only four people in existence know about the plans for the Great Hall, enchanted ceiling and staircase. And you just told me all about them and how to fix them."

Shit. Shit shit shit.

"I am going to ask you once and once only," she said evenly. Even now, tied up and scared shitless, she still looked amazing. Concentrate, Potter.

"Who are you?"

She then pulled out an item from her robe. "And what is this?"

The time turner. I could have sworn it was in my pocket. Err, the pocket in my robes, at least. Then again, this was the woman who created the entire House of Ravenclaw so I'm sure that a dormant object shoved down the pants of a twenty-three year old time traveller out of his element was easy enough.

There was no easy way out of this. "Madam Ravenclaw-"

She came closer. "Are you a spy? Did the Slavs send you? A thousand curses upon them, they will never have my plans for that disgusting school!"

The Slavs? Merlin's beard, she was talking about Durmstrang. I was a little offended. Didn't Bulgarians have thick accents? Anton Krum sure did- not to mention his mental father. Wait- did Bulgaria even exist now?

"I'm not a spy."

Her eyes softened momentarily. "We shall see."

From the depths of her cloak, (Merlin, did she have an entire apothecary stashed down there?), she pulled a small vial out.

I knew the look of that.

I had seen it once, when I was with Dad at the Ministry. I had picked it up and had wondered what it tasted like. Seeing as I wasn't a Gryffindor, I hadn't tasted it, only asked Dad. He snatched it off me and locked it in his desk.

Even now, I wondered what it tasted like.

"Isn't there a law of some kind that prohibits this kind of behaviour?" I protested. Wait a minute, this was Hogwarts being built. I was an idiot.

Now I was starting to panic. The whole point of lying was to find a way to get back home without completely destroying history. I wanted to still exist! I didn't want to be under a mental Voldemort regime or for there to be no House Elves.

"It'll be quick," Rowena assured me, removing the stopper. "And if you aren't a spy, you'll have nothing to worry about."

"I just have a superior intellect," I started. Merlin, now I was sounding like a sodding Slytherin. "Trust me on this one. I'm gifted at Arithmancy."

She stopped only for a moment.

"Please," I tried once more.

And then, the liquid was going down my throat. The taste wasn't too bad. Hey, there was one more thing I could tick off my list. Veritaserum. Rowena looked at me expectantly.

"You're rather beautiful," I blurted out. If she was surprised, I didn't see it. How bloody mortifying. Her wand was now up against my throat. Lovely.

"Your name," she repeated. I couldn't work it out. She wasn't frightened. She looked curious. The words rolled naturally off my tongue.

"Albus Severus Potter."

Strike one.

Rowena frowned. "I've never heard of it. And that man with you? His name?"

"My brother. James Sirius Potter."

And strike two.

She leant closer. Her hair was even shinier up close. "Why are you here?"

And that was the million dollar question, wasn't it? Would 'James is a bloody idiot' suffice? Would 'James was depressed and I was disenchanted so as luck would have it we were plucked from our own timeline and thrust into the Founders Era'?

The potion answered for me. "We're lost."

That was so simple that it was nearly embarrassing. Rowena then did something that surprised me. She pulled out Aunt Hermione's time turner. Then she pulled out another nearly identical one. "What is this?" she said holding out my time turner.

"A time turner," I answered automatically.

She looked confused now. "And to whom does it belong?"

These ropes were really starting to annoy me. "These ropes are really starting to annoy me," I answered. "And it belongs to Hermione Weasley."

"Did you steal it from her?"

"What? No...well, yes, but really it was James and it all started because of Hugo..."

Her eyes blazed. "How did this Weasley know of this?" she demanded. "You must tell me where she is, if you have stolen it from her, she must have stolen it from me! A Slavic spy!"

I shook my head. "You won't be able to find her. And trust me, she's no spy."

And then Rowena flicked her wand and the ropes disappeared. Seeing as I had no finesse or balance whatsoever, I stumbled. "Oomph."

I supposed Rowena wanted me for further questioning, because I saw the tent door seal shut. What I didn't expect to see was her hand steadying me while I tried to gain equilibrium. "This is why you are lost," she said quietly.

"Your strange language, your clothing, those strange things on your face-"

I looked up at her. Her face was a mixture of amazement and confusion. I knew exactly how she felt. "When are you from?"

I had heard tales from Uncle Ron and Dad about what people looked like when they tried to fight the Veritaserum. I bet it looked a lot like that- the purple face and I knew I was gasping. It was no use, of course, but I had to do it, didn't I?

What if actually admitting it out loud caused the entire universe to explode? I knew it was arithmetically possible. I suddenly hated the Department of Mysteries for allowing me to know that.

"2029," I admitted. I felt like vomiting. Dad wouldn't have made this stupid error. Bloody hell, if Aunt Hermione knew what I had just done, she'd have my hide. If Aunt Hermione even existed. Oh Merlin, what if Voldemort had won and enslaved all the Muggle-borns? Was my Aunt even there? Was Dad?

"I feel sick," I announced and Rowena summoned a chair for me and one for herself. She pressed what felt like a canteen of water into my hand. I drank it.

"I am sorry," she started. "The Veritaserum, it won't last."

Apologetic now, was she?

"Don't ask me anything else," I begged her, my eyes meeting hers. "Please. Shit, I've said enough."

She nodded. "Of course. Drink."

I had some more water. It did help a little, but nothing much would erase the heavy feeling in my gut. If Rowena knew what a time turner was, it meant that they existed.

She pressed the time turner back into my hand. I looked it over and it was exactly the same. I peered at the writing and Aunt Hermione's name was still etched onto it. I wonder why Rowena had missed it. Or maybe she hadn't. "It's broken," I offered as she looked at me curiously. "I mean, it won't work. It can't send us back."

And there I went again.

"We need your help."

Rowena smiled softly. "Master Potter," she breathed, holding out her own half-finished time turner. She turned it on its side and gently turned Aunt Hermione's the same way.

"Look."

At first, I didn't see anything. They all looked the same to me. But then something caught my eye. There was a marking which was very small embedded into the design. On closer inspection, it looked like a letter. The letter R. And there it was, as clear as day.

"Merlin's beard," I barely got out as I pushed my glasses up.

"Master Potter, this is my time turner. I need you to help me finish creating it."


End file.
